Discussion
What all do you drive in the GT evening?
I did the full day during the week there, it was the best money I've ever spent. I really couldn't describe what it was like.
I LOVED the Clios, you have an instructor who will be pushing you as hard as possible. I ended up 13th place out of 60 in the Clios which I was pretty chuffed with!
I did the full day during the week there, it was the best money I've ever spent. I really couldn't describe what it was like.
I LOVED the Clios, you have an instructor who will be pushing you as hard as possible. I ended up 13th place out of 60 in the Clios which I was pretty chuffed with!
Posted this write up in another forum I post in, but it seemed appropriate here 
.
Palmersport day completed, very tired but it was an excellent day, even managed to keep my upcoming cold at bay for the day, feeling a bit crappy now though!
A day of two halves, morning was dry but it had been raining overnight so track was very greasy. Afternoon was showers, of which one shower was torrential, which happened to coincide with me being on track in a 911, so that was interesting
. The instructors were brilliant, really pushing you to go faster than seemed possible, especially in the wet. There were 70 drivers there in total, but it was very well organized and not too much waiting around.
BMW M3 GTP. Incredible technological achievement, this was one of the wet sessions and you could drive as if it was totally dry, 100mph in 5th, foot flat to the floor and a chicane coming up, throw it in the first corner, straighten up, brake, drop a cog, floor it and drift out of the second corner at 70mph, repeat ad infinitum. 450bhp and you could be an absolute hooligan at all times and it would sort everything out for you. Loads of fun but a totally pointless car
Formula Jaguar. Full aeropackage F1 alike little car, remarkably easy to drive, gripped like anything and was so much more capable than my talent could use.
Palmer Jaguar JP1. Le Mans style 2 seater car, quite a beast of a car to drive, but a lot of fun. Probably the fastest car available to drive during the day in real terms, the Formula Jaguar is technically faster, but you are on your own I that, with no instructor pushing you on.
Karting. Bog standard karting. A bit meh but it was the first activity for our group so a good way to start the day.
Caterham 7 Superlight. Another wet session, the car was on slicks and all over the place, my one spin of the day happened here. A lot of fun but much more practice needed to be able to steer it on the throttle as needed.
Renault Clio Cup Racer. Ludicrously good fun. Another wet session but the car was so nimble and quick and so easy pointable that it didn't matter, possibly my favourite session of the day.
911 JP3. Torrential rain and a 911 made for a few tricky moments. A boring boring car to drive compared to the rest of the day, felt slow and had little feedback, not impressed.
Plus a 4x4 course and a little session in a couple of caterhams to do some doughnuts and power slides and the day was done. Highly recommended if any of you get the chance to go.
Oh, and just one more thing
. Palmersport day completed, very tired but it was an excellent day, even managed to keep my upcoming cold at bay for the day, feeling a bit crappy now though!
A day of two halves, morning was dry but it had been raining overnight so track was very greasy. Afternoon was showers, of which one shower was torrential, which happened to coincide with me being on track in a 911, so that was interesting
. The instructors were brilliant, really pushing you to go faster than seemed possible, especially in the wet. There were 70 drivers there in total, but it was very well organized and not too much waiting around.BMW M3 GTP. Incredible technological achievement, this was one of the wet sessions and you could drive as if it was totally dry, 100mph in 5th, foot flat to the floor and a chicane coming up, throw it in the first corner, straighten up, brake, drop a cog, floor it and drift out of the second corner at 70mph, repeat ad infinitum. 450bhp and you could be an absolute hooligan at all times and it would sort everything out for you. Loads of fun but a totally pointless car
Formula Jaguar. Full aeropackage F1 alike little car, remarkably easy to drive, gripped like anything and was so much more capable than my talent could use.
Palmer Jaguar JP1. Le Mans style 2 seater car, quite a beast of a car to drive, but a lot of fun. Probably the fastest car available to drive during the day in real terms, the Formula Jaguar is technically faster, but you are on your own I that, with no instructor pushing you on.
Karting. Bog standard karting. A bit meh but it was the first activity for our group so a good way to start the day.
Caterham 7 Superlight. Another wet session, the car was on slicks and all over the place, my one spin of the day happened here. A lot of fun but much more practice needed to be able to steer it on the throttle as needed.
Renault Clio Cup Racer. Ludicrously good fun. Another wet session but the car was so nimble and quick and so easy pointable that it didn't matter, possibly my favourite session of the day.
911 JP3. Torrential rain and a 911 made for a few tricky moments. A boring boring car to drive compared to the rest of the day, felt slow and had little feedback, not impressed.
Plus a 4x4 course and a little session in a couple of caterhams to do some doughnuts and power slides and the day was done. Highly recommended if any of you get the chance to go.
Oh, and just one more thing
Edited by trooperiziz on Saturday 7th August 22:11
thanks for the write up trooperiziz , i will hoefuly do a palmersport day soon they sound realy good. I have only done one trackday before, was a "supercar day at brunters" it doesnt sound like it can be compared to the palmersport though. Going coombe on Saturday will be my first "proper" track, excited and nervous at the same time
Done it 19 times now. Just LOVE it. Would do it everyday if I could! never gets boring for me as all the different cars and circuits have their own challenges. I will get past 20 in next month at some point!
incredible value day out.
The Vids you get are awesome as well.
here is the last time I went few weeks back. Excuse the rev limiter. I was being lazy whilst I warmed up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzCOt-OM9g8&fea...
amazing fun.
incredible value day out.
The Vids you get are awesome as well.
here is the last time I went few weeks back. Excuse the rev limiter. I was being lazy whilst I warmed up!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzCOt-OM9g8&fea...
amazing fun.
Yesterday, I went on a Palmersport day and had an absolutely fantastic time! Before I went, I'd googled for tips and reviews and what I found was everyone raving about how good it is, which was encouraging (and entirely accurate) and most of the advice being "listen to your instructor", which is sound advice.
Whilst it's still fresh in my mind, I thought I'd write up a few notes for those thinking about going on a Palmersport day.
First of all, a quick itinery to give you an idea of the layout of the day.
The day starts fairly early, around 07:45 to 08:00 with registration, followed by a full English breakfast (or pastries and fruit if you're desperate for that last tenth of a second on the track). You'll be put into one of around 4 or 5 groups, all named after F1 racing teams; Mercedes, Red Bull etc. You'll stay with that group all day and each group/team will get their own bus (sorry, Super Coach!) which will ferry you to and from each of the different events. Breakfast is followed by a video briefing (presented by Martin Brundle no less) and you'll be assigned a team leader, who will be your organiser/Mother for the day. You'll then board a shuttle bus to your first event. We did four events in the morning, before heading back to the hospitality suite for lunch, then three events in the afternoon. That was followed by afternoon tea and a prize giving ceremony, before winding up around 17:00.
The order of events will differ depending on what group you're in, as the groups all rotate around the various events throughout the day. The whole place is incredibly well organised and everything runs like clockwork, but without you ever feeling rushed. On the day I went, there were four teams, meaning nobody had to do the F3000s first! Our order of events was:
Clio Cup
Caterham Pursuit / Off Road
Karting
JP-LM
Lunch
F3000
BMW M2s
Caterhams
There are four separate circuits at Bedford Autodrome, with each type of car having a dedicated track and the teams rotating around those tracks as they change events. The F3000 and JP-LM cars share a track and alternate. There are also some specific tracks, for example the karting track, the off-road course and the Caterham Pursuit area. This one was really interesting, as there are two identical gymkhana type circuits, as mirror images of one another, right next to each other. Two drivers in each group go head to head against each other on the two circuits. The off-road circuit is next to it and some of the group will do the off-road while the rest of the group will take it in turns on the Caterhams, then you'll swap over. Everyone gets a go in every vehicle.
So, most of the above you can get on the website. As far as my recommendations and tips go, the main thing I'd suggest is don't get too competitive and get hung up on your times. There are a lot of things that will affect your time and you're unlikely to get the same person at the top of the list for every event. Here's why:
Your time will be affected by other drivers. You'll get caught up behind a slower driver and have to wait for them to get blue flagged or for their instructor to get them to move over before you'll pass them.
You'll spin. This will happen on your fastest lap, as that's when you'll be pushing the hardest. It'll ruin your time that would have *definitely* got you to the top of the board.
Other people will spin. You'll either have to slow down to avoid them, or just because there's a yellow flag. Again, this will ruin your lap time.
The instructor can make a big difference to your lap time. Some are conservative and will not slacken off the traction control, or will intervene (most cars have dual controls) if you get a bit lairy. Others are complete nut cases and will push you harder than you think you can go. You'll likely get a much faster time with the mental instructors. Either that, or you'll get a terrible time, as you'll spin off every lap.
In summary, the best time will be a combination of talent, pick of the draw with an instructor and sheer luck with nobody else ruining their lap with a yellow flag etc.
The breifing video recommends you start off gently and build up speed as you get to know the car and the circuit. This is the best approach. If all goes well, your last lap will be your fastest, though bear in mind this may be ruined by other circumstances. If so, hard luck.
So my top tips would be:
Watch for the cones/lights on the circuit which mark the braking, turning and apex points. The people that put them there know what they're doing.
Listen to your instructor. If he says you can push harder through a certain section. Take his word for it, even if it feels like you won't make it. I've never driven a car that relies on downforce before and in the JP-LM I was going wide on one corner and the instructor was telling me to nail the throttle much earlier. It felt completely counter-intuitive, but I did anyway and sure enough, I made it round the corner much easier when I gave it the beans, presumably because I was generating more downforce.
In the F3000 you're on your own. That and the Caterham Pursuit are the only events where you don't have an instructor in the car with you. If you're catching up with another car, don't get all up in their mirrors. Give them space. They'll be concentrating too hard on going fast to look in their mirrors and if you've caught them up, chances are they're braking earlier than you. You'll catch them REAL quick on braking into a corner, so give them room and wait for them to either spot you or get blue flagged.
On the Caterham Pursuit, just have fun! Don't worry about lap times, just have a good time sliding it about. I had a whale of a time on this one and assumed my times would be rubbish as a result, but I ended up being top. Turns out sideways isn't always slow :-)
You'll get emailed a video of your fastest lap in the F3000 car. For me, that was in the wet and didn't get a single clean lap, which was really frustrating. I span twice (they're a proper handful in the wet!) and on every other lap, I either got slowed down by a yellow flag, or slowed down to allow a gap to the car in front (it's hard to pass unless they're MUCH slower, or they get blue flagged). Still, it was tremendous fun and it still looks fairly quick in the video (in some parts at least). This was my fastest lap, despite getting caught in a yellow flag right at the first corner and getting stuck behind another car when they get it back on the track for the remainder of the lap:
https://vimeo.com/321984512/fb01f8907d
All totally subjective of course, but my pick of the day was the Caterham Pursuit. Absolutely hilarious fun! If I had to pick a worst one, it would be the M2 Competition. Just felt a bit dull and I had an instructor who wouldn't slacken off the traction control, so I couldn't get much of a slide on, even in the wet.
Most of all, I'd say that if you're thinking about doing it, DO IT! It'll be the best driving day you've ever done. Promise. If you're already booked and looking for tips, then congratulations, you'll have a fantastic time!
Whilst it's still fresh in my mind, I thought I'd write up a few notes for those thinking about going on a Palmersport day.
First of all, a quick itinery to give you an idea of the layout of the day.
The day starts fairly early, around 07:45 to 08:00 with registration, followed by a full English breakfast (or pastries and fruit if you're desperate for that last tenth of a second on the track). You'll be put into one of around 4 or 5 groups, all named after F1 racing teams; Mercedes, Red Bull etc. You'll stay with that group all day and each group/team will get their own bus (sorry, Super Coach!) which will ferry you to and from each of the different events. Breakfast is followed by a video briefing (presented by Martin Brundle no less) and you'll be assigned a team leader, who will be your organiser/Mother for the day. You'll then board a shuttle bus to your first event. We did four events in the morning, before heading back to the hospitality suite for lunch, then three events in the afternoon. That was followed by afternoon tea and a prize giving ceremony, before winding up around 17:00.
The order of events will differ depending on what group you're in, as the groups all rotate around the various events throughout the day. The whole place is incredibly well organised and everything runs like clockwork, but without you ever feeling rushed. On the day I went, there were four teams, meaning nobody had to do the F3000s first! Our order of events was:
Clio Cup
Caterham Pursuit / Off Road
Karting
JP-LM
Lunch
F3000
BMW M2s
Caterhams
There are four separate circuits at Bedford Autodrome, with each type of car having a dedicated track and the teams rotating around those tracks as they change events. The F3000 and JP-LM cars share a track and alternate. There are also some specific tracks, for example the karting track, the off-road course and the Caterham Pursuit area. This one was really interesting, as there are two identical gymkhana type circuits, as mirror images of one another, right next to each other. Two drivers in each group go head to head against each other on the two circuits. The off-road circuit is next to it and some of the group will do the off-road while the rest of the group will take it in turns on the Caterhams, then you'll swap over. Everyone gets a go in every vehicle.
So, most of the above you can get on the website. As far as my recommendations and tips go, the main thing I'd suggest is don't get too competitive and get hung up on your times. There are a lot of things that will affect your time and you're unlikely to get the same person at the top of the list for every event. Here's why:
Your time will be affected by other drivers. You'll get caught up behind a slower driver and have to wait for them to get blue flagged or for their instructor to get them to move over before you'll pass them.
You'll spin. This will happen on your fastest lap, as that's when you'll be pushing the hardest. It'll ruin your time that would have *definitely* got you to the top of the board.
Other people will spin. You'll either have to slow down to avoid them, or just because there's a yellow flag. Again, this will ruin your lap time.
The instructor can make a big difference to your lap time. Some are conservative and will not slacken off the traction control, or will intervene (most cars have dual controls) if you get a bit lairy. Others are complete nut cases and will push you harder than you think you can go. You'll likely get a much faster time with the mental instructors. Either that, or you'll get a terrible time, as you'll spin off every lap.
In summary, the best time will be a combination of talent, pick of the draw with an instructor and sheer luck with nobody else ruining their lap with a yellow flag etc.
The breifing video recommends you start off gently and build up speed as you get to know the car and the circuit. This is the best approach. If all goes well, your last lap will be your fastest, though bear in mind this may be ruined by other circumstances. If so, hard luck.
So my top tips would be:
Watch for the cones/lights on the circuit which mark the braking, turning and apex points. The people that put them there know what they're doing.
Listen to your instructor. If he says you can push harder through a certain section. Take his word for it, even if it feels like you won't make it. I've never driven a car that relies on downforce before and in the JP-LM I was going wide on one corner and the instructor was telling me to nail the throttle much earlier. It felt completely counter-intuitive, but I did anyway and sure enough, I made it round the corner much easier when I gave it the beans, presumably because I was generating more downforce.
In the F3000 you're on your own. That and the Caterham Pursuit are the only events where you don't have an instructor in the car with you. If you're catching up with another car, don't get all up in their mirrors. Give them space. They'll be concentrating too hard on going fast to look in their mirrors and if you've caught them up, chances are they're braking earlier than you. You'll catch them REAL quick on braking into a corner, so give them room and wait for them to either spot you or get blue flagged.
On the Caterham Pursuit, just have fun! Don't worry about lap times, just have a good time sliding it about. I had a whale of a time on this one and assumed my times would be rubbish as a result, but I ended up being top. Turns out sideways isn't always slow :-)
You'll get emailed a video of your fastest lap in the F3000 car. For me, that was in the wet and didn't get a single clean lap, which was really frustrating. I span twice (they're a proper handful in the wet!) and on every other lap, I either got slowed down by a yellow flag, or slowed down to allow a gap to the car in front (it's hard to pass unless they're MUCH slower, or they get blue flagged). Still, it was tremendous fun and it still looks fairly quick in the video (in some parts at least). This was my fastest lap, despite getting caught in a yellow flag right at the first corner and getting stuck behind another car when they get it back on the track for the remainder of the lap:
https://vimeo.com/321984512/fb01f8907d
All totally subjective of course, but my pick of the day was the Caterham Pursuit. Absolutely hilarious fun! If I had to pick a worst one, it would be the M2 Competition. Just felt a bit dull and I had an instructor who wouldn't slacken off the traction control, so I couldn't get much of a slide on, even in the wet.
Most of all, I'd say that if you're thinking about doing it, DO IT! It'll be the best driving day you've ever done. Promise. If you're already booked and looking for tips, then congratulations, you'll have a fantastic time!
Nice write up glad to hear it’s a worth while day. Me and the Mrs have been wanting to do one for a while but always put it off as the thought of spending that amount of money and being disappointed (done a few of those Ferrari experience type days which arnt worth it IMO) but hearing this mite have to get on it this year!
Another thumbs up for Palmersport.
Did the full experience last year.. I was only fastest on 1 event (caterhams), but consistency was on my side
Got me 2 trophy's, a fancy baseball cap and a scare ride
Click Here for video
Did the full experience last year.. I was only fastest on 1 event (caterhams), but consistency was on my side
Got me 2 trophy's, a fancy baseball cap and a scare ride
Click Here for video
Perfect timing for this topic my sister who has turned 30 this year commented the other day she would like to do a driving day on track and often heard palmersport being the best out of them all. She's never driven on track before but has been out several times with me in my turbo Exocet race car which she enjoyed apart from feeling a bit sick in one of the outing at Anglesey.
Have always fancied it myself so was thinking of booking for both of us next year as a combined birthday/xmas present thinking this be something both of us but mainly she won't forget. Have people taken wife/girlfriends etc to the event with no experience of driving on track and enjoyed it, don't want too spend all that money too be disappointed.
Have always fancied it myself so was thinking of booking for both of us next year as a combined birthday/xmas present thinking this be something both of us but mainly she won't forget. Have people taken wife/girlfriends etc to the event with no experience of driving on track and enjoyed it, don't want too spend all that money too be disappointed.
MG CHRIS said:
Perfect timing for this topic my sister who has turned 30 this year commented the other day she would like to do a driving day on track and often heard palmersport being the best out of them all. She's never driven on track before but has been out several times with me in my turbo Exocet race car which she enjoyed apart from feeling a bit sick in one of the outing at Anglesey.
Have always fancied it myself so was thinking of booking for both of us next year as a combined birthday/xmas present thinking this be something both of us but mainly she won't forget. Have people taken wife/girlfriends etc to the event with no experience of driving on track and enjoyed it, don't want too spend all that money too be disappointed.
Bit of a late reply but they do say better late than never...Have always fancied it myself so was thinking of booking for both of us next year as a combined birthday/xmas present thinking this be something both of us but mainly she won't forget. Have people taken wife/girlfriends etc to the event with no experience of driving on track and enjoyed it, don't want too spend all that money too be disappointed.
...my wife bought a full day voucher for me 5 years ago as a birthday present and, surprisingly, paid to do the full day herself too. She was a little nervous when we registered and noticed that everyone else driving was male (a few female non-participants though). She also felt a bit sick but the staff there provided her with a travel sickness tablet (Kwells or similar) and felt fine for the rest of the day.
The instructors really put her at ease and she gradually got more confident. She'd never done a track day before, never driven a car with more than 100bhp, never used paddle-shift gears, etc. Having said that, she really enjoyed her day and was having great fun by lunchtime (no nerves now). She was happy that she came 50th out of 60 and I thought that was an impressive feat being the only female driver there.
We enjoyed it so much, that we went again the following year. 35th out of 60 this time. We went again 2 years later and her highlight was coming 3rd in our group for the JPLM and 5th in the F3000 (out of 12).
I would definitely go with your sister and tell her not to be put off by all the men driving. Tell her to watch some YouTube videos (especially the West Circuit where you'll drive the JPLM and F3000), knowing the circuit layout is a big help. The instructors have dealt with all sorts of customers, if you listen to them then you/she'll be fine.
Also, they always have 10% off in Nov/Dec with their Christmas promo. So if you want to go next year, buy them with the promotion in order to save £100 per person.
Any other questions then feel free to reply on here.
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